Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers got the NHL's verdict on Wednesday night's mess in Ottawa: a maximum $5,000 fine, and no suspension.
Nick Cousins got tagged too. The Senators forward was fined $4,091.49 for his conduct from the bench, and he won't miss a game either.
That's the entire bill for a night that piled up 84 penalty minutes and saw jerseys tossed onto the ice. Two fines, no games lost.
Do the math on Tkachuk's end. He carries a $9,500,000 cap hit, which makes this fine the equivalent of a $50 parking ticket for someone earning $95,000 a year.
The winger finished with 6 penalty minutes in 17:29 of ice time. He still found a way to pick up a power-play assist on Florida's lone goal.
Cousins worked a much smaller shift sheet. He logged just 8:03 and walked away with 14 penalty minutes, the most of any Senators skater on the night.
The November 25 rematch in Florida is already circled
Mark it down. The Senators and Panthers meet again November 25 in Florida, the first of three remaining meetings between these clubs this season.
Ottawa owns the series so far. Wednesday's 5-1 win is the only head-to-head result on the board, and it pushed the Senators to 7-3-0.
Florida sits two points back at 5-3-2, fourth in the division. A +1 goal differential tells you how thin the margin has been all month.
Akira Schmid wore the loss, turning aside 25 of 30 shots. His season save percentage of .867 isn't what Paul Maurice needs while Jacob Markstrom sits on IR.
And there's no breather. The Panthers are in Pittsburgh tonight on the back end of a back-to-back, while the Senators turn around and host San Jose.
The injury list is the bigger worry in Florida. Aleksander Barkov is expected out until at least November 27, two days after that rematch.
Brad Marchand isn't due back before November 21 either. So the Panthers walk into round two thinner down the middle than anyone in their room would like.
Here's my problem with the ruling. A max fine doesn't cool anything down, it just sets the price of admission for the next round.
Tkachuk can afford that price easily. He's been feeding everybody lately, with 11 assists over his last five games and 8 power-play helpers on the season.
Cousins sits on 2 points and a -4 rating through 10 games. Andrew Campbell now has to decide if that agitator edge is worth a sweater every night.
Is anyone in either building really scared of a cheque?
The league drew its line at a wallet. That night in Florida will show whether either bench believes it.
Should the NHL have suspended Matthew Tkachuk after Wednesday's chaos in Ottawa?
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